Court Orders Fresh Probe Against Azam Khan for Remarks Against Modi

District police chief told to take action against investigating officer in the case for filing closure report

File photo of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan.

Uttar Pradesh: A district court in Rampur has ordered a fresh probe into Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan for his derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Arvind Mishra slammed the police for its shoddy probe against Khan, the Rampur MLA. He also asked the district police chief to initiate action against the investigating officer in the case, J P Tyagi, for his rush in filing a closure report in the case, PTI reported.

An FIR had been registered against Azam Khan on April 10, 2014. He was a minister in the UP government at the time. He was booked under sections sections 153-A (promoting enmity between communities), 2095-A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) and 505-2 (speeches creating hatred between classes) of the Indian Penal Code.

The FIR was registered based on a complaint by the election panel.

The court rejected the final report and ordered the SHO of the Rampur City police station to initiate a fresh investigation into the case.